"Author Angela Johnson follows up her Coretta Scott King Award�winning novel,
Heaven,
with this absorbing prequel about a single teen struggling to accept his new
paternal role."
�The Barnes & Noble Review

Bobby is a typical urban New York City teenager -- impulsive, eager, restless.
For his sixteenth birthday he cuts school with his two best buddies, grabs a
couple of slices at his favorite pizza joint, catches a flick at a nearby
multiplex, and gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life
forever: He's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school and house
parties and fun times with friends are replaced by visits to Nia's pediatrician
and countless social workers who all say that the only way for Nia and Bobby to
lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption. Then tragedy strikes
Nia, and Bobby finds himself in the role of single, teenage father. Because his
child -- their child -- is all that remains of his lost love.

With powerful language and keen insight, Johnson tells the story of a young
man's struggle to figure out what "the right thing" is and then to do it. The
result is a gripping portrayal of a single teenage parenthood from the point of
view of a young on the threshold of becoming a man.

Honor Books:

Days of Jubilee:
The End of Slavery In The United StatesClick to order via Amazon

For two and a half centuries African-American slaves sang about, prayed for, and
waited on their long anticipated freedom -- a day of Jubilee. But freedom didn't
come for slaves at the same time. DAYS OF JUBILEE chronicles the various stages
of U.S. emancipation beginning with those slaves who were freed for their
service during the Revolutionary War, to those who were freed by the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution. Using slave narratives, letters, diaries,
military orders, and other documents, the McKissacks invite young readers to
celebrate coming freedom and the Days of Jubilee.

When Lonnie was seven years old, his parents died in a fire. Now he's eleven,
and he still misses them terribly. And he misses his little sister, Lili, who
was put into a different foster home because "not a lot of people want boys-not
foster boys that ain't babies." But Lonnie hasn't given up. His foster mother,
Miss Edna, is growing on him. She's already raised two sons and she seems to
know what makes them tick. And his teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to
put his jumbled feelings on paper.

Told entirely through Lonnie's poetry, we see his heartbreak over his lost
family, his thoughtful perspective on the world around him, and most of all his
love for Lili and his determination to one day put at least half of their family
back together. Jacqueline Woodson's poignant story of love, loss, and hope is
lyrically written and enormously accessible.

When Jericho is invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, he thinks his
life can't get any better. As the most exclusive club in school, the Warriors
give the best parties, go out with the hottest girls, and sail through their
classes. And when Arielle, one of the finest girls in his class, starts coming
on to him once the pledge announcements are made, Jericho is determined to do
anything to become a member....

But as the initiation week becomes progressively harrowing, Jericho is forced to
make choices he's not entirely comfortable with. And one member seems to have it
in for the sole female pledge in the group...a pledge who will stop at nothing
to show she can handle the pressure. But when is she being pushed too far, and
when should Jericho and his friends step in and risk losing their places in the
pledging process? As Jericho becomes increasingly uneasy, his cousin Joshua
breezes through the initiation, never thinking of the consequences, even when
the fine line between fun and games, and life and death is crossed.

Sharon M. Draper proves once again that she knows just how real kids think, act,
and feel in this haunting story of peer pressure, popularity, and hazing.

Long ago, Blackbird was voted the most beautiful bird in the forest. The
other birds, who were colored red, yellow, blue, and green, were so envious that
they begged Blackbird to paint their feathers with a touch of black so they
could be beautiful too. Although Black-bird warns them that true beauty comes
from within, the other birds persist and soon each is given a ring of black
around their neck or a dot of black on their wings -- markings that detail birds
to this very day.

Ashley Bryan's adaptation of a tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia
resonates both with rhythm and the tale's universal meanings -- appreciating
one's heritage and discovering the beauty within. His cut-paper artwork is a
joy.

Sally, tattered rag doll, tells the story of a young girl and her parents as
they escape from slavery and start the dangerous journey along the Underground
Railroad to a place called Freedom. Lindy and Sally are best friends -- wherever
Lindy goes, so does Sally. They eat together, sleep together, and they even pick
cotton together. So, when Lindy and her mama run away one night, Sally goes too.
At their first stop, Sally and Lindy are hiding in the basement when slave
catchers approach. Lindy and her parents must escape quickly. In the rush Sally
is left behind, will she be found? Stunning paintings capture the drama and
emotion of this unforgettable story.

On a dark night of howling rain and booming thunder, Jackson and Millicent
MacGruder welcome a new baby girl into their lives. Imagine their surprise when
she sits up, thanks them for bringing her into the world, and informs them that
she's quite partial to the name Rose.

So begins the story of Thunder Rose, who drinks her milk straight from the cow
and prefers the company of her bull, Tater, to any kitten or puppy. Rose is
capturing outlaws by the time she's a teenager, but she always has time to find
joy in a song. Jerdine Nolen and Kadir Nelson have created a tall tale -- and a
powerful new African American heroine -- to delight readers of all ages.

Coretta Scott King/John
Steptoe New Talent Author Award - 2004Occasionally awarded, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New
Talent Award affirms new talent and offers visibility to excellence in
writing and /or illustration at the beginning of a career as a published
children's book creator.

With a click, a bang, a whisper--or no noise at all. There are so many ways that
a door can close, but it's not just the closing; it's the knowing. And
thirteen-year-old CJ knows too much--about losing his father, about his family's
pain, and especially about what it means to hold things together when times are
the toughest.

In this beautifully written and powerfully moving novel in poems, Hope Anita
Smith tells the story of a young man's struggle to accept a father who has
walked out on his family. Here, in CJ's words, is a portrait of hurt and
healing, and finding the strength to open the door again.

Here’s a clan that outdoes even the
Marsalis family. From her great grandmother, who plays a cathedral’s mighty pipe
organ, to little niece Sadie, who plays pots and pans in the kitchen, it seems
that everyone related to this high-energy young narrator is a musician. And
she’s no exception, either: in fact, she plays with them all, on tambourine,
triangle, cowbell, woodblock, maracas, handbell, and more. In cut-paper collages
that look silk-screened, Brown depicts this exuberant percussionist with
cornrows and a big grin, confidently accompanying big band and string quartet,
dancing on club stages, and joining marching bands, plainly welcome wherever she
goes. A closing glossary explains some of the terms and musical genres mentioned
here, but it’s the pride this child takes in her family, and her place in that
family, that readers will remember most clearly. �Kirkus Reviews

Related Links

American
Library Associationhttp://www.ala.org/srrt/csking/index.html
The Coretta Scott King Award is presented annually by the
Coretta Scott King Task Force of the American Library Association's Social
Responsibilities Round Table. Recipients are authors and illustrators of African
descent whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of
the "American Dream. "